In the present description and in the attached claims, “APP-compatible device” is meant to indicate a personal portable electronic device configured to support the operation through APPs. Such APP-compatible devices are typically configured for access to Internet. Such APP-compatible devices typically lack a physical keyboard, being of the touch screen type or using an electronic pen. In particular, the portable electronic device is intended to be used by the cyclist.
An APP-compatible device can be for example:
a “smartphone” (in Italian “telefono intelligente” “cellulare intelligente”, “telefonino multimediale”), a term meant to indicate a cell phone provided with advanced computation, storage and data connection capabilities, provided with an operating system for mobile devices, like for example iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Android, Embedded Linux and many others;
a “tablet”, a term meant to indicate a compact-sized computer, which uses, as the only one input system, a screen controlled by a pen or fingers instead of a keyboard and a mouse,
a “phablet”, a term meant to indicate a device larger than a smartphone, but smaller than a tablet.
In the present description and in the attached claims, “APP” is meant to indicate a computer application dedicated to mobile devices, such as in particular those listed above.
Such an APP can be a “native APP” (“mobile APP”) or a “web APP”.
In the present description and in the attached claims, “native APP” is meant to indicate an APP programmed for a specific operating system, and that is physically installed and is used entirely on the mobile device.
In the present description and in the attached claims, “web APP” is meant to indicate a link towards a remote computer application written in a multi-platform language and executed through Internet access, wherein possibly just the code of the user interface is installed on the mobile device. In particular, a web APP can be an application operating within an Internet browser on the APP-compatible device.
An APP according to the invention can also be installed and executed locally (“native APP”), although requiring access to a server through Internet, at least for user authentication and for the authorization to execute the APP itself, for safety reasons.
A motion transmission system in a bicycle comprises a chain extending between toothed wheels associated with the axle of the pedal cranks and with the hub of the rear wheel. When there is more than one toothed wheel at at least one of the axle of the pedal cranks and the hub of the rear wheel, and the motion transmission system is therefore provided with a gearshift, a front derailleur and/or a rear derailleur are provided for. In the case of an electronically servo-assisted gearshift, briefly called electronic gearshift herein, each derailleur comprises a chain guide element, also known as cage, movable to move the chain among the toothed wheels in order to change the gear ratio, and an electromechanical actuator to move the chain guide element. The actuator in turn typically comprises a motor, typically an electric motor, coupled with the chain guide element through a linkage such as an articulated parallelogram, a rack system or a worm screw system, as well as a sensor of the position, speed and/or acceleration of the rotor or of any moving part downstream of the rotor, down to the chain guide element itself. It is worthwhile noting that slightly different terminology from that used in this context is also in use.
The toothed wheels associated with the hub of the rear wheel are also known as sprockets, while those associated with the axle of the pedal cranks of the bicycle are also known as crowns or gears.
Control electronics change the gear ratio automatically, for example based on one or more variables detected by suitable sensors, such as the travel speed, the cadence of rotation of the pedal cranks, the torque applied to the pedal cranks, the slope of the travel terrain, the heart rate of the cyclist and similar, and/or the gear ratio is changed based on commands manually input by the cyclist through suitable control members, for example levers and/or buttons.
In gearshifts of a first type, a control device of the front derailleur and a control device of the rear derailleur—or only one of the two in the case of simpler gearshifts—are mounted so as to be easily manoeuvred by the cyclist, usually on the handlebars, close to their handgrips where the brake lever for controlling the brake of the front and rear wheel, respectively, is also located. Control devices that allow driving both a derailleur in the two directions and a brake are commonly known as integrated controls. By convention, the control device of the front derailleur and the brake lever of the front wheel are located close to the left handgrip, and the control device of the rear derailleur and the brake lever of the rear wheel are located close to the right handgrip.
In gearshifts of a second type, a control device, again mounted so as to be easily manoeuvred by the cyclist, allows a gearshifting request manual command to be input—which can be to decrease the ratio or to increase the ratio—and the electronic system controls the driving of the front derailleur and/or of the rear derailleur to actuate the requested gearshifting.
When both a front derailleur and a rear derailleur are provided, typically the increase in gear ratio can take place by moving the rear derailleur onto a toothed wheel with a smaller diameter/smaller number of teeth and/or by moving the front derailleur onto a toothed wheel with a larger diameter/larger number of teeth; the decrease in gear ratio can take place by moving the rear derailleur onto a toothed wheel with a larger diameter/larger number of teeth and/or by moving the front derailleur onto a toothed wheel with a smaller diameter/smaller number of teeth.
In the on-board electronic bicycle system, a power supply for the above components is typically further provided.
Moreover, a computer cycle may be provided, that may be associated, even just temporarily, to the remaining components.
The aforementioned components and possibly others are located on-board the bicycle and there are means for communication between them. In case of wireless communication, the electronic bicycle system may comprise one or more wireless to wired and/or wired to wireless transducer(s).
Published applications, US 2014/0358386 A1 and US 2014/0358387 A1 describe a control system comprising at least one bicycle electronic system mounted on-board a bicycle, and a supervisor device not mounted on-board bicycles, in wireless communication with each other. Preferably, the supervisor device is on-board a team car, which follows a bicycle or a team of bicycles during a race. The team manager is located on-board the team car. Through wireless communication, the current value of one or more parameters and/or variables of the on-board systems of one or more bicycles can advantageously be transmitted to the supervisor device and/or the value of one or more parameters and variables of the on-board systems of one or more bicycles can be changed by the supervisor device.
The Applicant observed that the wireless communication between two moving units is not sufficiently reliable, and that only the changes of the values of the parameters in any case has a limited impact on the operation of the on-board system. Moreover, the cyclist is not offered any possibility of personal intervention.
Document WO 2014/205345 A2 describes a bicycle having a bicycle electronic system having a processor integral to the bicycle and having, integrated in the frame, a holder for a smartphone provided with an APP. The smartphone, when docked in the holder, is linked to the processor in a manner not better specified, receives information therefrom such as information on maintenance, battery charge and the current gearing, and is integrated with the lights and with mechanical locks to authorize the use of the bicycle and with generators of vibrations on the handlebars to provide navigation information to the cyclist. The smartphone, when it is not docked in the holder, can communicate with the processor over a mobile communication network to obtain position data of the bicycle. A server can manage user credentials that associate the smartphone and the bicycle processor, provide an APP that can be downloaded into the smartphone, store information on maintenance, and send instructions for maintenance.
The Applicant observed that such a system is not sufficiently adaptable to pre-existing bicycles and bicycle electronic systems since it requires the smartphone holder integrated with the frame; moreover, the APP of such a document substantially only plays an informing role for the cyclist, without making lasting changes to the state of the gearshift and, although it interacts with the remaining components of the bicycle such as lights, mechanical locks, etc., it does so through the emission of commands in real time, without making changes to the firmware and to the content of the memory of the processor.